


Don't Leave Me Alone Tonight

by DreamingofStardust



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Just Friends, Nursing, Pain, Self-Hatred, Sexual Tension, Swearing, robbie needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 09:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11145915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingofStardust/pseuds/DreamingofStardust
Summary: Robbie is about to head out for his night job when a familiar stranger comes knocking at his door.





	Don't Leave Me Alone Tonight

Robbie never realized how quiet his house could be when he was all alone. Except, he wasn't alone. Not really, anyway. The Rider was always with him, a silent presence in his head until there was vengeance to be served. Still, the thought didn't help the empty cavern growing in his chest. It made it worse, actually. Even when he wasn't alone, he was.

Robbie's heart twinged. Is this how Gabe felt all the time? Before he knew the truth about the Ghost Rider, when Robbie left each night, did he just sit here in their dark house and drown in the silence? 

_Beep._

Robbie blinked as the kitchen table he sat before came into focus. Quickly, he dug into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out his phone. Midnight. Shit. He should be gone already.

Wood against linoleum grinded painfully through the silent kitchen as he scooched his seat back. Robbie got up and pushed it back into place before grabbing his empty, dirty dishes. It was going to be another long night, and nothing made it easier than Gabe's leftover southwestern lasagna.

He set his dishes in the sink and made sure to run water over them, or else he would never hear the end of it from Gabe about dried-on food. Robbie smirked as the tight pain filled his chest again. When did Gabe become the parent? That was supposed to be his job.

Robbie took in a deep breath, gripping the edge of the countertop tightly. Just add it to his growing list of failed responsibilities.

He exhaled with a heavy sigh and pushed himself back from the counter. Digging into the back pocket of his jeans, Robbie pulled out his leather gloves and roughly tugged them on. As he left the kitchen, he zipped up his jacket and snatched his car keys off the table. At least, he could keep one responsibility.

Twirling the key ring in his hand, he was halfway to the front door when: 

_Knock. Knock._

Robbie froze. The hollow sound reverbed through his body, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. He tightened his grip on his keys. Who could be knocking at his door at a time like this? His mind first went to Gabe, but it couldn't be. Gabe had his own key that Robbie had made sure he kept with him always.

A heavy weight slammed on the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. Glancing around, Robbie found a screwdriver on the dining table amongst all the junkyard scraps Gabe had been tinkering with and quickly snatched it up. If only he hadn't left his chain in the car, but this would have to do.

"Who's there?" He called.

Silence.

He tightened his grip on the screwdriver, fire already rushing to his hand. Guess there was only one way to find out.

Robbie quietly stalked towards the door and grasped the knob. He paused. Leaning in close, his ears could just make out soft, labored breathing right on the other side. Robbie narrowed his eyes. It could be one person, but he wasn't too sure. 

Raising the screwdriver high and poised to strike, Robbie slowly twisted the knob. He flung the door open and lunged forward. The tip of the screwdriver hit nothing but empty air. No one was there. 

Robbie jerked back, his eyebrows scrunching together. What?

A groan rose up in the darkness. Robbie casted his eyes downward. In the faint silver light of the moon lay a familiar-looking figure in all black crumpled on his doorstep. Their upper body rested against the door frame while their arms and legs were sprawled haphazardly on the ground. The person moaned as they moved their head. Their dark hair fell away from their face and Robbie's eyes widened. 

"Daisy?!"

He quickly tossed the screwdriver aside and bent down next to her. She stunk heavy of smoke, sweat and copper that made his nose recoil. Robbie reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her heavily-shadowed eyes fluttered open, dazed at first but soon they focused on his. Daisy cracked a grin.

"Took you long enough," she teased, her voice groggy and hoarse.

Robbie rolled his eyes. Of course, she would still joke. Daisy groaned as she sat up and struggled to rise to her feet. Each attempt left the heels of her boots scraping the concrete as she slipped back down. 

"Here." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and grunted as he tugged her onto her feet. She was basically a rag doll as he helped walk her in to his house and over to the couch. Robbie gently eased her down onto a cushion before he went back to close the front door and flick on the lights. 

"Shit," he breathed.

It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but in the warm, brighter lights of his living room, Daisy looked like she had been through Hell. Her clothes were scuffed, torn and covered in grime. A fresh bruise was blossoming on her cheek and a few lines of blood dripped down her forehead and from her mouth. Robbie frowned. Why was it anytime he saw her she always looked like she had just been put through the wringer?

"The hell happened to you and what are you even doing here?" 

Daisy grimaced as she sat up. "I heard rumors of a Watchdog gathering in Los Angeles and decided to check them out . . . Unauthorized." 

Robbie nodded as he sat down in the arm chair. He still remembered how difficult S.H.I.E.L.D could be from when he cooperated with them to get the _Darkhold._ Sometimes your priorities never matched theirs, and their priorities always trumped yours. It had been nice while it lasted, but Robbie preferred working solo. 

"So, I got there and they surprised me by getting the jump on me. I managed to fight back a few of them, but there were too many. I decided to make a tactical retreat, and you were the closest person I could turn to." 

"Dammit, Daisy, you should be seeking medical attention, not making a house visit," he asserted, gripping the arms of his chair hard.

Daisy waved her hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. I'm tougher than I look," she stated with a grin. "Just give me any Tylenol or painkillers you got, I'll sleep it off and by the morning I'll be as good as new."

He watched the slow trickle of blood move down her face. His gut clenched. "You could have a serious concussion."

The hair on the back of his neck pricked as she focused her brown eyes on his. There was a cool, steely calmness in her eyes like the sturdy trunk of an oak tree. "Robbie, trust me, I'm fine," she stressed softly, her eyes not once leaving his.

His chest grew tight. He wanted to believe her. After all they had been through together, he wanted to trust her words, but he couldn't. Not when she looked like she just walked away from a hit-and-run. She may seem like an unstoppable force of nature, but she wasn't invincible.

He groaned, fire burning in his chest. "Let's see, then. Take off your jacket." 

Daisy raised an eyebrow at him. "Whoa there, Reyes, you're going to have to buy me dinner first," she teased with a devilish grin.

Robbie scoffed with a shake of his head. "Just take your jacket off. I want to make sure you didn't break anything," he explained. "Again."

Daisy chuckled, but did as he said with only a few groans and winces. Robbie frowned. Just as he had suspected, her arms we're covered in bruises and discolored. She tossed her jacket onto the coffee table then shot him a look with that coy smile of hers. 

Robbie got up and sat across from her on the coffee table. He gingerly grabbed onto her arms and began to examine them in the fuzzy lamplight. Daisy inhaled sharply as his fingers touched a particularly purple spot near her elbow.

"I don't know why you are doing this," she protested through gritted teeth. "It's not like you're a medical expert."

Robbie shook his head, his eyes never leaving her arms. "Well, you won't go actually see one, so I'm the best you've got," he stated.

Between being the Ghost Rider and years spent participating in youth sports, he could at least recognize when injuries were serious. He may not be able to treat her properly, but, if he could determine whether she would be alright without professional medical assistance, it would help ease the rumbling turmoil in his conscience.

Daisy said nothing else as she allowed him to continue inspecting her arms. A grin quirked at the edges of his mouth. No wisecracks or smartass replies? That was a first.

"Well, your arms aren't broken, so that's good," he said, gently setting her arms down onto her lap. "Now, let me just check your head quick." 

Robbie shuffled closer and placed his hands on either side of her head. He followed the line of blood to her hairline where there seemed to be a small gash. "Hard to tell, but it doesn't look too serious, either." 

"What did I tell you?"

He ignored her as he leaned back then stood. "I'll go see what sort of first aid stuff I can find." Robbie took a few steps towards the kitchen then paused. He turned back around with a wicked grin stretching across his face. "And please don't run away before I get back," he added.

Daisy leaned back against the couch and rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha," she said, voice oozing with contempt.

Robbie snickered as he continued into the kitchen. He opened the bifold closet doors that hid away their washer and dryer, and snatched the first aid kit off the lowest wall shelf. He grabbed a few old towels that were also stashed in there then closed the doors shut. Robbie made his way through the rest of the kitchen, making up ice pack, wetting towels, and filling a glass up with water. Satisfied, he loaded up his arms and hands with his bundle of supplies and headed back to the living room.

Daisy had her eyes closed and seemed to be dozing off when he returned. When he set the glass of water on the coffee table, her eyes slowly opened. She sat up as he set the rest of the supplies down then sat down on the table across from her once more.

Robbie opened up the first aid kit, and right on top were painkillers and bandages he had gotten for her the last time. He smirked. At least, this time she didn't have a broken arm.

"Here," he murmured as he cracked open the bottle of painkillers. He fished out two pills and handed them to her along with the glass of water.

"Thanks." She slammed the pills and water back like they were hard liquor then set the half-empty glass back down on the table.

Robbie reached for the wet towel. "Now, can I?" He asked, gesturing to the cut on her face. Daisy nodded. 

He scooched closer to her until they were barely (a foot) apart. Gently, he began to wipe away the line blood that dripped down her cheek up to her forehead. His eyes were focused on his task, but out of the corner he could spot her eyes focused on his. Sparks of invisible energy crackled between their close proximity and made the fine hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Robbie twitched his neck, trying to ignore the sensation and continue his work.

He soon reached the cut and dabbed away the excess blood. Daisy winced. Robbie cringed. 

"Sorry," he mumbled, eyes still trained on her forehead. He finished cleaning the blood to reveal it wasn't actually that bad of a gash, only a little worse than a paper.

"Hold this." 

Daisy took the towel from him and held it down over her wound. Robbie dug into the first aid kit until he found some old butterfly bandages at the bottom from when Gabe busted his knee in soccer. He tugged his leather gloves off and quickly unwrapped the bandages.

She lowered the towel as he brought the bandage closer and applied it over the cut. Robbie smoothed it down, his fingertips tingling with electricity each time they brushed her skin. He finished putting on the bandage, but his hand lingered.

Despite her rough exterior, Robbie never realized how soft and delicate Daisy could be. Right now, in the faint light of his living room, all of that brusqueness was gone. This wasn't Quake, the badass vigilante and a regular pain in his ass, or even Agent Johnson of S.H.I.E.L.D. This was Daisy, a girl who had seen some of the worst of the world and still remained strong and hopeful. With nothing but a breath's apart from each other, it was like each of their walls they built up against the world were starting to crumble between them.

His fingers trailed down the side of her face, the nerves on his fingertips blazing hotter yet gentler than any fire he could make. He brushed back a lock of her dark hair before letting his hand rest on her cheek. Robbie flicked his eyes towards hers. Everything froze. Even his heart seemed to stop beating for a moment.

He never really noticed before how gorgeous her eyes were. Every time he had seen them they had always been hard, concentrated with a steely calmness that could cut into your soul. Now, they were tender like molten chocolate or soft candlelight that spread warmth through his chest.

A charged voltage sizzled between the two as their eyes searched the others. They communicated so many unspoken words, so many unspoken questions in the small, yet vast, distance they had. These were questions that Robbie hadn't even pondered before, and yet, they seemed so right in this moment. His eyes flicked down to her lips. _What if?_

"Don't you have a night job to go do?"

Her words pierced the silent space and shattered the stillness. The world seemed to come back into focus and the intense energy in the air fizzled out. Robbie blinked. What had happened? What had he almost just done?

The tips of his ears began to burn as he retracted his hands and scooched back. A noticeable chill quickly took the place on his hand where her cheek used to be. Robbie coughed. "Right. The night job," he murmured, down casting his eyes briefly before shifting them towards the front door.

The Rider prowled and hissed inside his head. There were so many wicked people probably roaming the streets right now, causing who knew what sorts of trouble. It was his job, his duty to stop them. That was the deal he made. Robbie grimaced as a fire burned in his core that sent scorching flares throughout his body.

He glanced back at Daisy who still looked like she had a bad run-in with someone's car and a vice clamped down on his heart. How could he leave her here all alone, though? Her injuries may have not seemed too serious, but she could still have a concussion. The way he found her nearly passed out on his front step did not help alleviate the growing chill in his stomach. What if something happened to her while he was gone? What if something went wrong because he wasn't there?

Robbie took a deep breath and exhaled. Guess he just had to tick off another failed responsibility to his list.

 _I'm sorry,_ he told the Rider. _Tomorrow._

Fire lashed out inside his body like the chain he wielded, but Robbie just gritted his teeth and ignored it. He snatched up the half-melted ice pack and handed it to Daisy. "It's fine," he stated, putting on a smile. "It's not like criminals and bad guys are going anywhere.

"Besides, somebody's got to make sure you don't end up eating all our food and leaving with all of our valuables." 

A giant smile cracked across Daisy's face that instantly made the pain inside him subside. "Wow, rude, Reyes," she scoffed.

He chuckled as he rose to his feet. While Daisy began applying the ice pack to her cheek, Robbie began stacking a few of the couch pillows to one side of the couch for her to rest on. He tidied up the small mess he made with the medical supplies then walked over and locked the front door. Robbie turned off all the lights except for one small lamp in the corner, making the room almost as dark as outside. 

With only the sole, dim bulb as his guide, he shuffled his way back to the couch where he sat down in the adjacent arm chair. Robbie collapsed his back against the chair and unzipped his leather jacket so he could sit more comfortably.

Daisy was already lying down on the couch face-up. Her dark hair pooled across the pillows he set up. "So, is Gabe cool with me spending the night?" She asked, shifting so that she was now on her side and could face him.

Robbie smirked. "Oh, so now you're concerned about randomly invading someone's home at night?"

She rolled her eyes, but sighed contentedly. "You're able to tolerate me more, and I think I just got on Gabe's good side. I'd hate to ruin that." 

He let out a small laugh. "You don't have to worry about Gabe. He and his science club are on an overnight trip at Griffith. They shouldn't be back until noon-ish tomorrow." His face scrunched together. "Or, today, I guess."

Daisy nodded her head. "He's a smart kid." 

"Yeah, he is." 

Robbie's chest grew tight. Gabe was so smart and talented. He was going to go places. If it weren't for the accident making him behind a year, he could be attending one of the most prestigious colleges in California right now. Gabe would be well on his way to getting an engineering degree and changing the world.

A lump formed in Robbie's throat. Gabe would go off, make a name for himself and leave this shitty town and his older brother behind. Robbie sighed. It was a terrible thought. He knew that. Gabe loved him as much as he loved him back, but doubt still crept in his mind. It did ever since Gabe left that afternoon for his little trip and Robbie was left alone in this quiet house with nothing but his thoughts and the Ghost Rider's hisses for company.

Gabe was so much better than him in more ways than one, and Robbie couldn't have been prouder. So, why would his younger brother even still want him in his life in a couple of years? He had done nothing but make Gabe's life more hellish than it needed to be. Robbie would be glad to get rid of his own awful ass if he could.

"He's so lucky to have a brother like you," Daisy murmured in the dark.

His heart constricted tightly in his chest as hot tears pricked the back of his eyes. Her words, while sweet, were a cruel joke. He wished he could believe them as much as she seemed to. Robbie took a deep breath. "Nah, I'm the one that's lucky," he stated. It was the truth.

The minutes went by in silence. Robbie was pretty sure she fell asleep when something warm slipped into his hand that sent rivulets of energy coursing through his veins straight to his heart. It was her hand, soft but with a few hardened callouses. He glanced over at her to see her dark eyes, highlighted only slightly by the dull lamp, were trained on him. 

She squeezed his hand with a firm but gentle touch. "Thank you for doing this, Robbie," she stated, her eyes never leaving his. "For helping me, for putting up with me . . . Seriously, I . . . I don't know what I'd do sometimes if I didn't know you." 

A smile stretched across his face as a tender warmth filled his rib cage. He squeezed her hand back. "Like I said, I'm the lucky one."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are appreciated! :)


End file.
